1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a heat dissipation device, and more particularly to a heat dissipation device for removing heat from heat-generating electronic components.
2. Description of Related Art
Electronic component includes numerous circuits operating at high speed and generating substantive heat. In many applications, it is desirable to employ a heat sink to remove heat from the heat-generating electronic components, such as central processing units (CPUs) etc., to assure that the components function properly and reliably. A typical heat sink comprises a base for contacting with the heat-generating component to absorb the heat generated by the heat-generating component and a plurality of parallel planar fins attached to the base by soldering or adhering. Alternatively, the fins can be integrally formed with the base by metal extrusion, such as aluminum extrusion. The fins are used for dissipating the heat from the base to ambient air.
With the development of various types of electronic modules, an array of many discrete heat-generating components may be mounted to a surface of a single circuit board and a mass of digital electronic products and systems become more and more compacted and portable in configuration. As a result, spacing between the heat-generating components has been decreased dramatically, which makes it impossible to provide each heat-generating component with an individual heat sink. Additionally, it is both expensive and time-consuming to attach individual heat sink to each of the heat-generating components. A conventional thermal resolution is to provide with one heat dissipation device capable of cooling at least two discrete heat-generating components simultaneously. The heat dissipation device typically includes a base contacting with the heat-generating components and a plurality of fins vertically standing on the base. The fins are spaced from each other with a predetermined distance, and define a plurality of air passages therebetween. To meet a higher need of heat dissipation, a fan is mounted to a lateral side of the heat dissipation device and faces to inlets of the air passages between the fins. However, in order to simultaneously connect with the at least two heat-generating components, the base and the fins are so elongated that an air resistance in the air passages is very large. Therefore, the flow rate of the airflow generated by the fan decreases gradually from the inlet to an outlet of the air passage when the airflow flows through the heat dissipation device. Accordingly, cooling capabilities of the heat dissipation device for the heat-generating components are different. Thus, difference in temperature occurs in the heat-generating components and the heat-generating component, which is remote from the fan may have a too high temperature to function normally.
What is needed is a heat dissipation device with an improved structure and able to cool an array of heat-generating components.